“You’re crazy,” they tell me. “Everybody is trying to get out of Greece and you are trying to go back?” “What are you going to do over there? There are no jobs, there’s massive unemployment. The country is in a major crisis. What are you going to do with your kids? How can you cut their future by taking them there?”

Yadda yadda yadda. Yes, fellow Greek Americans, I’ve thought about it long and hard. But I have come to the long-sought conclusion: I am happier, more balanced, and ultimately more successful across the Atlantic in Hellas than I am in America. These are the reasons that I am leaving:

ONE: The American Dream is dead. Whoever thinks we roll across rose petals on silk sheets, sipping champagne, while an army of servants cooks gourmet meals for us, washes our dirty clothes, and shops for groceries in America is seriously mistaken. Lets face it the crisis is not just in Greece—it is everywhere. America, and especially New York City, has taken a turn beyond the rat race; it is like some post-apocalyptic survival challenge with scenes from The Hunger Games. The struggle to survive economically in the US, especially as a new immigrant, has become gruesome. Middle-class families such as mine are barely making it. No, we are not all born with an entrepreneurial flair. Not EVERY Greek owns a diner or a construction business. Some of us are middle-of-the-road kinda folks; some of us are creative types. We don’t all drive BMWs. While it is true, as an immigrant group, Greek Americans have made advances in this country, and have become prominent leaders in business, politics, and civics, that’ has taken a few generations. It is the sons and daughters, most likely grandsons or even great grandsons and great daughters, that have reaped the harvest of their ancestors rewards in this new country. I am sure that an off-the-boat immigrant coming to America today, in 2015 or 2016, will have a much harder time making it successfully. The golden age of opportunity, that golden dream of avenues paved in dollars, the chance to own a two-story house in the suburbs with a picket fence, is a memory at best, or a false advertisement of propaganda at the worst.

America too is in crisis. When I as a teacher, educated with a double Masters, can’t pay my exorbitant ($2000 plus) Con Ed bill; when my husband has gone through three years of unemployment because construction has been down; when I had to refinance my house three times in order to keep from losing it; when I get slammed with “speeding tickets” at $125 a pop for going beyond the 25 mile an hour city limit; when I had to work three jobs at one point, just to maintain a middle-class standard of living—a standard we have been hyped up to expect in this “land of opportunity”—I can tell you brutally that stop it, the crisis is not just in Greece, it’s everywhere. The last 25 years has witnessed an erosion of the middle class and a spike in income inequality that places the nation back to the days of the robber barons era in the “Gilded Age” or some present developing countries. There is the 1% and then there’s the rest of us. (the top 35 wealthiest people in the world own more than 30% of the world’s assets) When Mark Zuckerberg can announce that he will make a foundation to give his worth which at present is valued at $45 billion on the occasion of his child’s birth, while homelessness in NYC has peaked to the point it was in the 70s—it is clear that the American Dream is dead. There’s no making it in America anymore.

TWO: Even Sisyphus would give up in America. Because of the fact that it has gotten harder to make a living just to stay in the same place, living in America has become a monotonous Sisyphian struggle. As if it already didn’t have a reputation for overwork, now it has become unbearable. Everyone is working all the time. The native-born Greeks who have come over to visit the States say it plainly, “All you people do here is go to work, come home, repeat. You only know it’s the weekend because you go to church.” This is not a life. Two weeks’ or even three weeks’ vacation is a mighty short time to look forward to when you spend the whole rest of the year working like a dog. The work-life balance is off-kilter. My cousin, an attorney, leaves before 8 am each morning and gets home after 8 each evening. When does she have time to eat? Do her nails? Work out? Oh yeah, Saturday, when she is catching up on all the other errands she didn’t have time to do during the week. The weekend is just a catch-up period for doing the regular life-sustaining stuff like food shopping, house cleaning, bill paying, sleep, etc. And if you have kids, faggetaboutit! That’s when you horde any free minute like a crack addict. That’s when you will give up ever having a life, going for a coffee, dancing at the bouzoukia, or enjoying a concert with your friends.

The Sleaze Stack from The Land of the Lost: This is what I turn into when I have no sun or fun living in NYC week in, week out

THREE: America is miserable place to live (excluding some sunny patches like California). Because of the fact that there is no healthy work-life balance compounded by the ever-drifting chance of financial security, living in the US has become an exercise in depression. What’s the latest statistic again—the mortality rate for people 45-65 is the highest in the world in the US due to suicide, drug abuse, and alcoholism?! Middle age is hard enough, but when you are surrounded by a culture that is miserable, that is trying to escape its misery by shooting up, getting high, or getting drunk, well that just puts a damper on everything. Why are Americans so miserable? Because they have no connections in their lives; they live 3000 miles away from their nearest relative or source of emotional support. Don’t underestimate the weather too. For Mediterranean people who have “sun” coded in their genes, living in a cold, cloudy, miserable climate does not do good for the soul. I wake up to darkness most days to get ready for work; the days when it’s raining, I don’t bother to go outside for a walk, so I return home in darkness. Especially now in the deep dark December, I am so sun-deprived I feel like one of the Sleaze-stack (those slimy brown bogey-monster types that lived in dark caves in “The Land of the Lost.”) After weeks of going through this cycle of darkness, I wake up crying. “WTF! I’m Greek! I need the sun! I need the light!” No normal person can be depressed in Greece. The bright sun seeps into every cell recharging your soul and body. When you feel a little down, take a walk to the local plateia, meet a friend for some frappe, take a dip in the thalassa, and you’re cured. Greeks make it a point to put human relationships over work; so when life gets a bit too hard to live, they retreat into the warm circles of friends and family that are really the important things in life. Americans know this too, but they don’t act on it. One of the longest running Harvard studies of all time followed men from college to the present day. George Vaillant commented that [in regard to happiness and life satisfaction] “There is 70 years of evidence that our relationships with other people matter, and matter more than anything else in this world.”

Kayden Coleman, a transgender man, thought he was gaining weight when he noticed his swollen stomach. Unbeknowst to Coleman, he was 21 weeks pregnant.

FOUR: America is a moral free-for-all. Disclaimer: At the risk of telling the truth, I will offend some in the following passage. As an Orthodox Christian, who believes deeply in the morals and values of my ancestors, I take offense to living in a place where “anything goes.” I can’t live on a street where I smell pot coming from all directions because the drug is getting legalized across most states. It passed in the capital city, Washington DC, for Christ’s sake! ( I dare you to walk down the streets of San Francisco or Denver without getting mastouromeno by osmosis.) Where I have to explain to my 7-year-old that that strange funky smell is not cigarettes but marijuana. I can’t live in a city where everyone is gay or transgender or having affairs with their cat and dog. It is a sin to be a homosexual in our church. How can I stand living in a country that has actually legalized a sinful practice and made it the law of the land? Panagia mou, tha mas kapsi o Theos! Where else but in America you can change your sex as easily as you can change your costume for Halloween? I heard last week of a woman who was pregnant, but half-way through her pregnancy felt like becoming a man, so was given hormones to transform her into a man. Now what the hell is that about? What is the child who is born to this mother/father combo supposed to think? “Dad, you were also my Mom?”

Anything goes in America. If you can afford it, or make a loud enough protest about it, start a “cause” or lobby a campaign, it can become a rule of law. But God forbid, you can’t offend anyone if you don’t agree with their lifestyle. You get labeled a hater or racist or bigot, etc.

FIVE: Greece, for all its financial problems, has a better quality of life. I don’t need to argue this point. Anyone who has lived in Greece knows it’s a fact. Fresh organic food, not processed, factory-made

The quality of life in Greece includes organic, locally-produced fruits and vegetables, unlike the Frankenfoods we eat in America

Frankenfood that we have here that is loaded with toxins to ruin your waistline. (The only industry that the fast food industry is feeding is the pharmaceutical/health care (that’s if you have access to health care). A cleaner more organic environment (minus the smog in Athens) that fills your eye and lung with ocean air. For all its bureaucracy in public health, people live longer healthier lives in Greece as many a news article about those octogenerians in Lefkada, Ikaria, and Crete has recounted. It does not take much to live there either. Give me an organic, sun-ripened tomato, a glass of wine, and fresh, wood-oven baked bread from the chorgio and l am happy. I’d rather live without the “luxuries” we have in America, fancy cell phones, luxury cars, destination vacations, so that I could live a saner, healthier, happier every day life there.

1:3 inhabitants in Ikaria, Greece live beyond 100 years of age. Could it have something to do with the quality of life?

There is more time to live in Greece because the pace slows down. You actually can count the hours in a day. In New York City, five years go by so quickly, they jam into each other. What have I done with my life these last five years? Where does the time go? Ironically, you can run around like the Tasmanian devil and still have nothing to show for it but the same old day, work, home, work, home, repeat. What kind of life is that?

“You will get bored,” people tell me. To that I say, “I’d rather be bored than stressed. Boredom never killed anybody; stress does, every day.”

For all these reasons, I have already purchased a container at my local Hermes Movers and am slowly shipping the necessary objects for my trans-Atlantic moving. The decision to move to another country is massive. Everyone must ultimately choose what’s right for his or her circumstances. But in my case, it has been clear for a long time. There is no comparison: even at its worse, provided you have a source of income, Greece has a higher quality of life, more time to cultivate relationships, and a warmer/sunnier climate that keeps you healthy, happy, and alive for a long, long time.

Thank you for this article. I moved to the US to live with my american husband a year ago. I have a Master’s in Engineering, lots of certifications, and yet no sign of a job in the “land of opportunity”. I have gone into deep depression, I had a great job and a great life, friends, family in Greece, and I am trying not to think I am crazy for wanting to go back. This place is miserable!

I am an “Americanaki.” Both my parents came here to make a better life for themselves, their families and their 4 children. I was blessed to have a Dad and Mom who loved this country and who always remembered their homeland. They tried very hard to make sure we were raised enjoying our Greek food and music and even making sure we learned the Greek language. Not an easy task while running a full time business and making sure bills are paid and that there is a savings account for colleges or any emergency or maybe bringing Yiayia over to visit from Greece. They absolutely did not get to enjoy the beauty that is Greece the way they should have. God bless your honesty and your decision because it is a hard one to make. What a great article. I loved it so much!!!!!!!

“provided you have a source of income”, thereby lies the secret. Also, in many cases because incomes are low, savings are low so options are limited, which makes you susceptible to blackmail which leads to indignation. It is hard to enjoy the view of Parthenon if you can’t afford to pay your rent or if you have humiliated yourself in order to not lose your job 5 mins ago. Greece is not friendly to the working class (public sector exempted). It is a paradise to the Old Money and those with connections to them and to people who have a highly paid skill (usually dentist dynasties/physician dynasties)

I am living all of my life in Greece 36 years now. Back at 2010 I was making more money that I am making now 2016. My salary is 400euro per month. With ENFIA been applied its like I am paying RENT for the house I own. My salary is barely enough for me to just survive. No other entertainment, i cant afford to go out on a sunny day for a “coffee” I cant afford to travel to see the beauty of Greece. I haven’t 3 years now.People with kids is even worse. The stress they have to put up not to get fired and the psychological blackmail we all have every day from work. I know pretty much its bad anywhere we decide to live, but what its best for each one we only know it. I am thinking of leaving Greece after 36 years and move to USA. Id rather be there with the man I love than stay here all by myself “enjoying the sun”

Thanks Christina, I am an Italian-American and moved from the U.S. to Canada 10 years ago. It is only slightly better up here, due to the fact that the Canadians take too many lifestyle cues from the U.S. My wife and I (she is both an Italian and a Canadian citizen) want to move to Europe, despite all its obvious issues and growing pains, for many of the reasons you have stated. We started thinking about and researching Greece recently and your article helps push us further down that road. Congratulations for having the guts to have a morality and a willingness to state it, despite that fact that it’s nearly illegal to do so. The U.S. is done…over, primarily for this reason. Morality, and not entitled indulgence, is the backbone of any country. God bless you, good luck and maybe see you over there!

I really appreciate this article. While your comments in number 4 serve to concern me a bit (I find the transgender stuff a bit odd, but I fully support lesbians and gays–but I am straight so it’s not a direct barrier to moving to Greece), they also remind me of a reason to be cautious about moving to Greece. If you live by the morals in line with the Greek church but aren’t a strong religious person or a member, would you foresee issues? The rest of the article is what I learned from time I spent as an American living in different parts of Europe, including many multi-week trips to Greece (they were work-related, so not just vacations).
I do have some questions–how are black Americans treated and how about a black man and white woman married? We have savings and work partly online, so if we were able to move to Greece (under a Financially Independent visa), would we be welcomed by the people or not so much? After all, life is only worth living in Greece if you can surround your life and fill your time with the wonderful people (ok, and the REAL food)! I ask these questions about mainland Greece in the Athens area as well as Crete (a place I spent much time before). Thank you for any feedback!

I think you will find a mixed race couple at first a curiosity in Greece, but behind closed doors they will have negative things to say. Esp in Crete, I find the quick onset of globalization has whacked an otherwise homogeneous nation into fits of xenophobia and racism. Although they will never admit it to your face, I believe most Greeks are very racist. Unless you find an enclave of expats who enjoy the sun and the food and each other’s company, I would say it will present a challenge. At least in the beginning. I think Greece needs time to adapt to the growing interculturalization brought on by an increasingly interdependent world.

I think this is a trend happening across nations, including the US. when change happens too quickly, people revert to fundamentalist positions. I think I too am suffering a bit from this, esp. with regards to #4. It takes time to change, even if the change is good.

My wife is black and has gone to Greece with me (I am Greek) more than 10 times. We have travelled all over the country and she has pointed out to me that although Greeks–especially in remote areas–may regard her with interest and curiosity they do not look at her as a criminal or subhuman. This is unlike her experience in the USA (where she grew up) and unlike what she has felt in most of northern Europe.

For us, the issue of racism is the main reason we sometimes consider giving up our careers and moving to Greece.

Hi Irene! My fiance and I are considering the same move, for the exact same reasons. I work online and would be able to support us both. However, I have one question: what is the deal with the mandatory military service for male citizens? I’ve read it applies to anyone looking to stay longer than 6 months in Greece.

Considering we would be purchasing and/or renting, would he have to do military service to do so? He’s 36, going on 37, and the cut off date for service is 45. We don’t really want to wait that long lol.

I want to move to Greece as well. I am of armenian decent not even greek. I have visited greece only once for my friends wedding. I have never felt so alive in my life for the two weeks that me and my wife spent there. I am from canada. This country is not liveable. It is cold. All we do is work. We don’t own anything. Our house is in majority owned by the banks. The taxes are insane. We are working for the corrupt government. I beg my wife to move to Greece. She does not want to. She says we don’t have family there. It is true. But are we living here??? This country has no culture, the weather is terrible and depressing. They say it’s the best country in the world here. They are lying. They say that because nobody wants to live here. 30 million population only. My wife says i cannot find work in Greece. I do not speak greek. True. I tell that he will find a way. Please how do I convince her to move? I am 35. Civil engineer with masters degree. Fluent in French and English. Driven and hardworking. Can you please provide some information about the status there. Is there construction? Is there work? Is there life? Or is she right? Grass is greener on the other side?

Yes grass is greener on the other side. There is no denying Greece is going through a horrific crisis right now. You might with some luck find work in a firm with construction, but in general, this industry has halted except for infrastructure that continues due to EU funding. I think what we all want is more of the Mediterranean lifestyle–a more balanced, healthier way of life close to community and earth. This is something you have to work to attain in any part of the earth, besides weather–there’s no remedy for changing that, unless you can wait for global warming to thaw out Canada. At this point Greece is a great option for retirement but everyday living esp without a safety net is risky

Well that was a lovely article.
Having grown up abroad (albeit in europe) and moving back to greece as an adult, at first I hated it! (must have something to do with the friends I left behind. It’s one thing to move from a neighborhood to another and quite a different thing to move 3.000 kilometers away)
I love Greece. I love the weather the sun the food the friends and the family. I have LEARNED to enjoy the myriad of things it offers. The humane aspect of living, it’s supreme beaches, its way of life.
There is a crisis and things are difficult but as I have never actually stopped travelling abroad, Greeks have it good. Really really good. Of course some friends would rip my arm out if they heard me emphasizing this point…
Still, my 2 cents.